Nikki Haley Endorses Ted Cruz Now That Wonder Boy Marco Rubio Is Out

With Marco Rubio officially out of the presidential race, many Republicans are scrambling to figure out where their loyalties lie. For South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley, that hope now falls on Ted Cruz. Haley told reporters on Wednesday that she would be moving her support from Rubio to Cruz. "The only thing I can say now is my hope and my prayer is that Sen. Ted Cruz can come through this," Haley said, according to the AP's Meg Kinnard.

Haley also said she would back whoever the Republican nominee is, though her choice would be Cruz. “I do see a path for him, because I think he’s been solid and strong the entire way," she said. "I think that he’s been disciplined in the way that he’s done it."

According to local station WYFF, Press Secretary Chaney Adams said Haley would "personally support" Cruz and her comments weren't necessarily an official endorsement, but tomato, tomahto. Haley would be a prime VP choice for any Republican candidate given her pull as a woman of color who successfully navigated her Southern state during a controversial debate over the Confederate flag. The strongly worded statement made just one day after her previous pick, Rubio, dropped out of the race shows the South Carolina governor is looking to be a prominent voice in Election 2016, one that sounds just like a running mate.